A wide variety of elevator machines, including traction and pneumatic machinery, may be employed to cause an elevator car to ascend and descend within an elevator shaft. Commonly, an elevator machine includes a grooved sheave which drivingly engages a plurality of hoist ropes attached at a first end to the elevator car and at a second end to a counterweight. The traction or friction between the sheave and the hoist ropes causes the elevator car to ascend and descend in the elevator shaft when an electric motor coupled to the sheave is activated. When in use, the frictional and rotational engagement of the hoist ropes within the grooved sheave creates dangerous nip points into which individuals may become entangled. In order to minimize the risk of entanglement, elevator machines are commonly located in a separate machine room proximate to the elevator shaft. Nevertheless, the unguarded state of the elevator machine within these machine rooms can still pose a significant risk of injury to individuals having access to the room, including elevator service personnel, emergency personnel, and caretakers. Although considerable advancements have been made to ensure the safety of the individuals traveling within the elevator car, few advances have been made to improve the safety conditions for elevator service personnel and other individuals having access to the elevator machine.
Accordingly, there is a need for a safety guard apparatus for an elevator machine which is adapted to enclose the mechanical components of the elevator machine. There is also a need for a safety guard for an elevator machine which enables an individual to observe the operation and condition of the elevator machine without the risk of entanglement. There is a further need for a safety guard apparatus for an elevator machine which is adapted to enable an individual to selectively access one or more components of the elevator machine which require servicing while concealing other one or more components of the elevator machine which do not require servicing or which pose a hazard to the individual.